Watee-wheel



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

G. M. GONNER, OF CHARLTON, NEYV YORK.

WATER-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent 10,791, dated April 18, 1854.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it knownthat I, Gr. M. CONNER, of Charlton, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in horizontal VVater-Vheels; and I do hereby declare that the following s a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a plan, or top view of my improved wheel, the top plate of the scroll being removed. Fig. 2, is an inverted plan, or an under view of do., the bottom plate of the scroll being removed. Fig. 3, is a perspective view of one of the buckets of the wheel. Fig. 4, is a side view `of the wheel, the scroll not being represented. A section of the bottom plate of the scroll is shown bisected through its center. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan, or an under View of the wheel, showing the device by which the vent, or discharge orifice is enlarged and contracted.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in horizontal water wheels; the class known as center discharge wheels.

The invention consists in the means employed for enlarging and contracting the vent, or discharge orifice, whereby said vent, or discharge orifice, may, at all times, be of such a capacity as to correspond to the inlet orifice, or, to the distance the gate is opened; thus avoiding the loss of power occasioned by any back action of the water upon the buckets; and, at the same time, obtaining the full effect of all the water, which enters the scroll, upon the buckets.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the scroll of the wheel, constructed in the usual manner, and B, is the shaft of the wheel, to which the buckets, C, are attached. The body, or main portions of the buckets, (a), are concave, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The lower ends of the buckets termina-te in spiral flanches, (b), which are more particularly shown in' Figs. 3, and 4. The spiral lianches are joined to the body, (a) of the buckets, so as to form a gradual curve at the connection, as shown at, (c), in Figs. 3, and 4. The ends of t-he flanches, (b), are about flush with the B. The upper bearing, G, is on the top r plate, H, 0f the scroll, as shown `in Fig. 4.

The object of the spiralflanches is to conduct the water to the ventor discharge orifice, D; andto cause the water to act upon the buckets, until it has passed from the vent or orifice. Thisobject is effected, for

while the anches conduct the water to the vent, or orifice, they are at the same time, acted `upon by the water, and receive an impetus from it. `See arrows in Fig'. 4, the arrows showing the action of the water' upon the flanches, when passing outat the vent or orifice.

The water passes around the scroll, A, and acts upon the buckets, C, and passes out of the vent or orice, D, in an unbroken volume or sheet, because the flanches serve to conduct the water to the vent, or` orifice, from their several buckets. There is nothing to interrupt the free passage of the water in passing around the scroll, and it is not forced from the vent, or orifice, at an eX- penditure of the power of t-he head of the water, as is the case with the center discharge7 wheels in common use, or, in other words, there is nol re-action of the water upon the buckets, the wheel does not lose any of the eifective power of the water, in consequence of the water being discharged at the center of the bottom of the scroll.

Around the vvent or orifice, D, and on the outer side of the bottom plate, E, there is a fiat ring formed of three parts, or sections, (d), (e), (f), see Fig. 5. The section, (d), is secured to the plate by a screw, (g), which passes through a slot, (IL), in the section, (el), and into the bottom plate, E, of the scroll. The slot, (7L), allows the section, (CZ), to be moved back and forth, the head of the screw projecting over the sides or edges of the slot. The sections, (e), (f), are secured to the ends of the section, (el), and by pivots, (i), (i), and said sections (e), (f), are secured to the plate, E, of the scroll, A, by screws, (j), (j) which pass through slots, (la), (7u), into the plate, E. The sections, (e), (f), are attached by arms, (Z), (mi), to one end of a lever, I, which has its fulcrum at, (n). This lever is provided with a slot, (o), near its opposite end, in which the slot or crank arm, (p), of the gate shaft, (g), works or lits.

When the lever, I, is moved in the direction of the arrow, see Fig. 5, the arms, (Z), (m), are drawn toward each other, and the sections, (d), (e), (f), are, in consequence, drawn a short distance over the edges of the Vent, or discharge aperture, D, and the gate, represented by, J, is partially closed, see red lines. VThen the gate, J, is entirely open, the sections, (ci), (e), (f), arefree from the vent, or discharge oriice, as shown in black lines. By this device, the vent, or discharge orifice, is enlarged or contracted, according to the distance the gate, J, is opened.' If the gate, J, be opened half way, only one half the water will enter the scroll, that would enter were the gate open its whole distance; consequently, if the Vent, or discharge orifice be of the same size in all cases; that is, large enough to correspond to the inlet orifice when the gate, J, isventirely open, the water,

when a small volume only is allowed to enter the scroll, Will escape from the vent, or discharge orifice, too quickly, and before exerting the whole of its eli'ective force upon the buckets of the wheel. On the contrary, if the vent, or discharge orifice, is too small to correspond with the inlet orifice when the gate is entirely open, the water will be retarded or interrupted in the scroll, and the maximum power of the wheel will not be obtained in either case.

By moving the lever, I, the sections, (d), (e), (f), and the gate, J, are operated simultaneously, and the vent, or discharge orifice, made to correspond with the inlet passage, no extra labor or attention is required.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

I claim enlarging and contracting the vent, or discharge orifice, D, so as to correspond to the inlet passage, by means of the ring formed of three sections, (d), (e), (f), attached to each other as shown, and connected to the crank arm, (29), ofthe gate, J, by the lever, I, as herein setforth.

G. IVLICONNER.

Witnesses:

JN0. Gr. TAYLOR, ELISHA C. TAYLOR. 

